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Yankees Notes: Expectations for Gerrit Cole's debut, potential lineup shakeup with Jose Caballero back

Ahead of Friday night's series opener against the AL East division-leading Tampa Bay Rays, Yankees manager Aaron Boone fielded questions from the press on a variety of hot topics.

Gerrit Cole's return

Boone began his news conference talking about Gerrit Cole, who will return to the mound for tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Rays for the first time in 569 days.

"We're all really excited to get our ace back...he's ready to perform at a high level...get outs at a high rate."

The logjam at shortstop

With the reinstatement of Jose Caballero to the starting lineup tonight, Boone said he is "excited to get [Caballero] back in there at shortstop today to hopefully provide that spark."

He then broke down his strategy in terms of managing both surging shortstops - the aforementioned Caballero and Anthony Volpe - at his disposal moving forward.

"I've talked to both guys...both guys are going to play...[Caballero's] versatility comes into play," Boone said. "These things have a way of working themselves out. We have two players that we feel can play vital roles in us winning games." 

However, Boone did acknowledge "it's not going to be the perfect scenario every single day."

"On the days [Volpe] is not playing, I'll have him working a little bit at second base... he has played some second base in the past, at spring training."

Lineup decisions for Bellinger, Judge, and Jones

Looking past the three-game home stand against Tampa Bay, Boone also expressed a desire to reduce the workload of star outfielders Cody Bellinger and Aaron Judge.

"We've got some lefties coming up in Kansas City... I want to give Bellinger a DH day at some point," Boone said. "I want to give Judge a day off at some point."

On Judge's recent struggles at the plate, Boone dismissed any concerns for the Yankees captain. He stated that during these slumps, he is always impressed by Judge's "emotional consistency...it's a grind, even for the great ones...he's as good as I've ever seen."

Boone also reflected on the team's decision to send Spencer Jones back down to Triple-A, explaining that "it was a really tough decision... it was a good experience for [Jones], even though he didn't get a lot of results, I feel like he held his own really well... was having some good at-bats."

Rehab updates for Dominguez and Stanton

Finally, the news conference ended with some brief updates from the manager on the rehab status of Jasson Dominguez and Giancarlo Stanton.

Boone expects to see Dominguez back in the fold "by the time we're at the back end of the [upcoming road trip, meaning in Sacramento against the Athletics] or at home [starting Tuesday, June 2 against Cleveland]... that's the hope, and that's how he's trending."

Meanwhile, in regard to Stanton's status, Boone simply stated that "[Stanton] is getting an exam again early next week...we'll go from there."

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Gilgeous-Alexander, bench propel Thunder past Spurs 123-108 after historic slow start for 2-1 lead

Gilgeous-Alexander, bench propel Thunder past Spurs 123-108 after historic slow start for 2-1 lead originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 26 points and 12 assists, and the Oklahoma City Thunder climbed out of a 15-point hole minutes into the game to beat the San Antonio Spurs 123-108 on Friday night and take a 2-1 lead in their series.

Jared McCain had 24 points and Jaylin Williams added 18 for Oklahoma City. The Thunder were without Jalen Williams, who sat out with left hamstring soreness.

Oklahoma City’s bench outscored San Antonio’s 76-23, including 15 points by Alex Caruso.

Victor Wembanyama had 24 points for San Antonio. Devin Vassell added 20 and De’Aaron Fox had 15 in his series debut.

The Thunder have won two straight after the Spurs’ double-overtime victory in Game 1. Game 4 is Sunday.
Fox (sprained right ankle) and Dylan Harper (right adductor soreness) were cleared to play 45 minutes prior to tipoff.

Fox’s return sparked a historic start.

The Spurs raced to a 15-0 lead, the longest run to open a game in the conference finals since the play-by-play era began in 1997.

Fox opened the run by wrapping in a driving layup and Wembanyama followed by crossing over Isaiah Hartenstein to drill a 3-pointer. Vassell’s 3-pointer put the Spurs up 10-0, leading to an early timeout by Thunder coach Mark Daigneault.

Hartenstein broke the drought with a runner over Wembanyama, but the center was immediately greeted with thunderous boos after his physical play against the Spurs in Game 2.

The Thunder went on a 13-2 run when Wembanyama went to the bench and closed the first quarter trailing 31-26.

It was a pattern the Spurs could not overcome.

The series continued to be chippy with emotions boiling over early in the second half. Stephon Castle hit the court on back-to-back dunk attempts. The second resulted in a flagrant 1 foul against Ajay Mitchell and technical fouls on Mitchell and Vassell after the two exchanged words following the foul.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams extended Oklahoma City’s first lead to 35-31.

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Padres drop series with rivals, hope for turnaround against A’s

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - MAY 20: Randy Vasquez #98 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at Petco Park on May 20, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images

This was a tough series for the San Diego Padres. Not because their offense couldn’t put together runs in the finale. Not just because it was against the rival Los Angeles Dodgers. It was tough for all those reasons and more. But what made it tough was how demoralizing it felt.

The Friars seemed to lose the fight that has marked the beginning of this season. They’ll need to find it again to claw back to first in the National League West. Wednesday night’s loss brought the Padres a game and a half back from first.

They’ll face a young Athletics offense that has struggled as of late. A good performance this weekend against the AL West club would be incredibly encouraging for the Friars.

Taking the mound

Jeffrey Springs (ATH) v. Walker Buehler (SD)

The lefty Springs has had a solid 2026 with the A’s, pitching to a modest 3.93 ERA across 55 innings. His last few games have been serviceable, surrendering seven runs across a combined 16 1/3 innings.

His underlying statistics suggest that he’s been the subject of some bad luck, though not much. His 3.57 xERA is half a run less than his actual ERA. That suggests some luck with batted balls, but not enough to particularly matter.

Buehler was actually pretty great in his last start. He pitched five innings and allowed two runs to the Seattle Mariners. In doing so, Buehler lowered his ERA to 5.01 and his ERA over his last seven games has been an even-lower 4.15 mark.

Much of his success came from hitting his stride in his knuckle curve. That pitch has been his most inconsistent, but when it’s working there’s no better option for the righty. Buehler will have to pitch to keep his spot on the roster with Germán Márquez continuing to work his way back from injury.

Batter up!

The Friars’ offense continued to slump this week against L.A., while the contributors managed to show up a bit. Miguel Andujar homered twice in what’s been a productive week. But Gavin Sheets went cold after putting up a .625 batting average last week. San Diego will need those guys to get it going again this weekend.

  1. Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
  2. Miguel Andujar, DH
  3. Gavin Sheets, 1B
  4. Manny Machado, 3B
  5. Xander Bogaerts, SS
  6. Ramón Laureano, LF
  7. Nick Castellanos, RF
  8. Bryce Johnson, CF
  9. Rodolfo Durán, C

Tatis has become the everyday second baseman without any real options outside of Sung-Mun Song to play the position. He’s been solid in his return to the infield, so Tatis seems to be it for now.

With Jackson Merrill exiting the game on Wednesday after tweaking his back, it seems likely the Padres’ outfield will look slightly different in the series opener today. Laureano has played some center and swings a much better bat than bench outfielder Johnson but the Friars have opted to go with the latter to give Merrill a day off.

Relief corps

With the Friars down, 3-0, for most of the game, the club used their low-leverage relievers to get through the final 4 2/3 innings. Wandy Peralta covered 1 2/3 innings, Yuki Matsui 1 1/3 and Ron Marinaccio 1 2/3 innings. The only blemish came in Marinaccio surrendering a home run to Teoscar Hernández.

But, apart from that, the taxed bullpen got a day to rest with the off day on Thursday. That should mean that most, if not all, of the relievers are available. But the primary options will be Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon and Bradgley Rodriguez.

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Golden Knights vs Avalanche Game 2 Preview: Stone Update, How to Watch

On Friday, the Vegas Golden Knights look to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Final over the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.

Puck drop is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. PST. 

The teams last met on Wednesday for Game 1. The Avalanche came out hard and fast, but the Golden Knights weathered the storm and escaped the first period with a 0-0 tie. They got the ever-important first goal and scored twice more to take a 3-0 lead early in the third period. The Avalanche roared back, but the Golden Knights held on for a 4-2 win.

Carter Hart starts in goal for the Golden Knights. Hart has a record of 9-4 and an average save percentage of .920 in 13 games this postseason.

Scott Wedgewood starts in goal for the Avalanche. Wedgewood has a record of 7-2 and an average save percentage of .911 in eight games this postseason.

Mark Stone was on the ice for morning skate, but remains OUT for Game 2 per head coach John Tortorella.

Golden Knights Lines

Ivan Barbashev — Jack Eichel — Pavel Dorofeyev

Brett Howden — William Karlsson — Mitch Marner

Brandon Saad — Tomáš Hertl — Colton Sissons

Cole Smith — Nic Dowd — Keegan Kolesar

Defense

Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore

Noah Hanifin — Rasmus Andersson

Kaedan Korczak — Dylan Coghlan

Goaltenders: Carter Hart / Adin Hill

Avalanche Lines

Gabriel Landeskog — Nathan MacKinnon — Martin Nečas 

Artturi Lehkonen — Brock Nelson — Nicolas Roy

Ross Colton — Nazem Kadri — Valeri Nichushkin

Parker Kelly — Jack Drury — Logan O’Connor

Defense

Devon Toews — Sam Malinski

Brett Kulak — Josh Manson

Brent Burns — Jack Ahcan

Goaltenders: Scott Wedgewood / Mackenzie Blackwood 

Special Teams

VGK power play: 27.0%, 4th

VGK penalty kill: 85.4%, T6th

Avalanche power play: 25.9%, 5th

Avalanche penalty kill: 77.4%, 11th

Game Notes

The Golden Knights are 10-10 in Game 2s in franchise history, and have lost the past four Game 2s 

Historically, teams that take a 2-0 series lead go on to win 87.6% of the time. 

Mitch Marner is the postseason leader in scoring with 19 points (7G, 12A). 

Pavel Dorofeyev leads the league with ten postseason goals. He is the fifth player in Golden Knights franchise history to record double-digit goals in one postseason. 

Jack Eichel leads the league in assists this postseason with 15.

How to Watch 

TV: ESPN

Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 94.7/1340

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Report: Former Carleton Place Canadian On Senators’ Backup Goalie Radar

As the Ottawa Senators consider how to proceed with their backup goaltending position for next season, a new name has entered the fray.

According to NHL analyst and former Ottawa 67's goalie Kevin Weekes, Buffalo Sabres farmhand Devon Levi is a player several teams are interested in, including the Senators.

Ottawa started last season with Leevi Merilainen as their backup, so this may be the first Leevi to Levi goalie transition in NHL history.

Levi was a dominant goalie for the CCHL's Carleton Place Canadians in 2019-20, posting phenomenal numbers. He had a 34-2-1 record, a 1.47 goals-against average, a .941 save percentage, and 8 shutouts. Levi also won just about every award in Canadian Junior A hockey that year.

The following season, as he continued to dominate at the NCAA level (Northeastern), his numbers for Canada at the World Juniors were also out of this world. He went 6-1 with a 0.75 goals-against average, a .964 save percentage and three shutouts.

Levi saw quite a bit of action in the 2023-24 NHL season, appearing in 23 games, but has spent much of the past two-and-a-half seasons with the AHL's Rochester Americans. He’s still just 24 years old and currently appears crease-blocked in Buffalo behind Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Alex Lyon and Colton Ellis.

Still only 24, he’d certainly come at the right price, contract-wise.

Last summer, Levi signed a two-year, $1.625 million contract with the Sabres at an average annual value of $812,500. So he still has another year left on his contract and will remain under club control as he hits restricted free agency next summer, although he is arbitration-eligible. 

Levi was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers in the seventh round of the 2020 NHL Draft, but was part of the 2021 trade that sent Sam Reinhart to the Panthers.

The Senators have not ruled out leaning on their internal goaltending options, whether it’s Merilainen (RFA), Mads Sogaard (UFA-G6) or veteran James Reimer (UFA), but strong arguments can be made against all those options, and all three need new contracts.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News 

This story was originally published at The Hockey News Ottawa Senators site. Click on the latest headlines below to read the latest stories there:

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Dillon Brooks, Underdog market 'Unethical Hoops' based on children's board game

Game night for hoop heads just got a lot more entertaining.

Underdog and Phoenix Suns guard Dillon Brooks collaborated to unveil a new board game called "Unethical Hoops".

It's essentially a basketball-themed version of Operation, a children's and family board game produced by Hasbro and Milton Bradley where players act as "doctors and surgeons" using tweezers to carefully remove ailments and add correct organs to the patient on the board without triggering the buzzer.

However, Brooks' version with Underdog, Unethical Hoops, takes aim at Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The name of the game is to steal basketballs from the back-to-back MVP, using tweezers, but the catch is you can't make contact with him, if you do, you're whistled for a foul and it's the next player's turn.

Similar to guarding Gilgeous-Alexander, or the modern NBA player, the board game features a bunch of foul-baiting tactics to look out for when defending the offensive player. Board game tactics favoring the ballhandler includes the head snap, shoulder bump, push off, lean in, hook and cook, rip through, don't reach, phantom contact and leg kick.

"Head snap. A lot of people do that. Hook, was James Harden's move. Push off, try this. You know I don't foul," Brooks said as he demonstrated how to play the game in a video released by Underdog.

Brooks on the next steal attempt, set off the official and was called for a foul.

"Foul. Next player's turn," Brooks said. "Get yours ... play your game with your friends and family, and get reacquainted with the new foul-baiting from The Villain".

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives to the basket against Phoenix Suns forward Dillon Brooks.

How to get Underdog's Unethical Hoops board game

This satirical board game is available at www.unethicalhoops.com.

As part of Underdog's promotion, there were 100 board games made, according to their website. To have a chance to win, you must download the Underdog app, which will direct users how to apply for the game. Winners will be announced May 29.

"Shai has made hoops all about foul baiting and now you're stuck guarding him in Underdog's new board game," their website said. "Don't get baited. Steal the ball without getting whistled."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Underdog. Dillon Brooks unveil Unethical Hoops, in a shot at SGA

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Arrighetti, Vazquez Lead Astros Over Cubs 4-2

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - MAY 20: Christian Vazquez #2 of the Houston Astros hits an RBI single against the Minnesota Twins in the second inning at Target Field on May 20, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Spencer Arrighetti continued to put up zeros and battery mate Christian Vazquez drove in a pair as the Houston Astros (21-31) slipped past the Chicago Cubs (29-22) 4-2 at Wrigley Field.

Arrighetti did not get deep in this game, but he did throw 5 innings of shutout ball in earning his 6th win in 7 starts this year. He lowered his ERA to 1.32. He allowed 2 hits, 4 walks and struck out 5. He also hit 2 batters, with one of them being Alex Bregman.

Christian Vazquez got things started with a solo HR in the 3rd off Cubs starter Jameson Taillon (L, 2-4). Vazquez also had an RBI single in the 4th, which followed an RBI groundout by Zach Cole to give the Astros a 3-0 lead.

Brice Matthews laced an RBI single in the 5th for the Astros fourth run. The Astros would get 4 earned runs off Taillon today in 4.2 IP, on 8 hits and a walk. Taillon struck out 5.

The Cubs made it interesting in the 6th when Pete Crow-Armstrong drove a 2-run homer to right off Steven Okert. The one-out blast chased Okert from the game in favor of Enyel de los Santos, who gave the Astros 5 clean outs to get them to the eighth.

Bryan Abreu came on in the 8th, and got the first 2 outs before getting into trouble. He hit Carson Kelly and then walked Pete Crow-Armstrong, which led to manager Joe Espada summoning Bryan King.

Abreu’s fastball velocity continues to be well below his norms from past seasons, and he used it sparingly. His fastballs registered 92.4 MPH, 93 MPH, 92.7 MPH, 94.6 MPH. He threw 14 pitches, including 10 sliders. He only threw 6 pitches for strikes.

King escaped the inning, working around an error by SS Jeremy Pena, without allowing a run to score. He then pitched a 1-2-3 9th for his 5th save.

The Astros look to claim the series tomorrow with RHP Kai-Wei Teng (2-3, 2.61) vs. the Cubs RHP Colin Rea (4-2, 4.98). Game time 1:20 pm.

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Game Thread #48: Milwaukee Brewers (29-18) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (31-19)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Logan Henderson throws during the first inning of their game against the New York Yankees Sunday, May 10, 2026 at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Brewers are coming off quite a high, as earlier this week they swept their biggest division rival, the Cubs, and moved back into first place in the NL Central. This weekend, they’ll look to keep the momentum going as they face off with the NL West-leading Dodgers in a rematch of last year’s National League Championship Series. (Check out Harrison’s series preview here.) In game one of this three-game series, the Brewers will send Logan Henderson to the mound to face off with lefty Justin Wrobleski.

Henderson is having another good season in 2026 after he impressed in five major league starts in 2025. He’s been especially good since rejoining the Brewers’ rotation in May. After a spot start in early April didn’t go especially well, Henderson went back to the minors, but since returning on May 3, he’s got a 2.81 ERA in three starts (16 innings) and an eye-catching 20:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In his most recent outing, Henderson picked up a win and went five innings, allowed one run on six hits while striking out seven and walking one.

Wrobleski is having a sort of bizarre season. The results are good: he’s 6-1 with a 2.49 ERA. But Wrobleski is striking out batters at an alarmingly low clip; with 27 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings, he’s averaging just 4.8 strikeouts per nine innings, a number that would be good if it were the 1930s. The major league evidence we have suggests that Wrobleski isn’t much of a strikeout pitcher as a starter — in 2024, when six of his eight appearances were starts, he averaged 6.4 strikeouts per nine. What’s a bit confusing about it, though, is that when he was mostly relieving in 2025, he averaged a solid 10.3 K/9. In any case, don’t expect many strikeouts tonight, as the Brewers are one of the better teams at not striking out regardless of who they’re facing. Wrobleski also recently had one of the stranger outings I can think of in recent times: on May 10, he threw 8 2/3 innings, but in a game in which he allowed seven runs, all earned. He threw only 100 pitches, but it’s still not something you see every day.

The big news out of Milwaukee this evening: The Brewers are using a lineup they’ve used already this season, which ends a streak of 47 consecutive unique lineups to start the year. Pat Murphy, for what it’s worth, claims he was unaware:

The lineup is the same as it was on Monday, and it worked then: that’s the game in which the Brewers put eight runs on Shota Imanaga and won 9-3. This lineup includes Christian Yelich at DH, an outfield of Jake Bauers, Jackson Chourio, and Sal Frelick and an infield that goes Luis Rengifo, Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang, and Andrew Vaughn from left to right. William Contreras is behind the plate. The Dodgers, as they tend to do these days, boast at least three and maybe four Hall of Famers at the top of their lineup with Shohei Ohtani followed by Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Kyle Tucker. The back of their lineup includes Andy Pages, Max Muncy, Teoscar Hernández, Dalton Rushing, and Hyeseong Kim.

A brief note of good news from the minors: Luis Peña starts a rehab assignment in Arizona today.

First pitch in Milwaukee is at 6:40 p.m. on Brewers TV and the Brewers Radio Network!

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NBA executives say Malachi Moreno and Milan Momcilovic should return to school

ST LOUIS, MISSOURI - MARCH 22: Milan Momcilovic #22 of the Iowa State Cyclones shoots against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second round of the 2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Enterprise Center on March 22, 2026 in St Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) | NCAA Photos via Getty Images

The 2026 NBA Draft is nearly one month away, and the Kentucky Wildcats are awaiting a couple of big decisions that would complete their roster for the upcoming season.

Jeff Goodman, a basketball analyst at The Field of 68, took to Twitter on Friday after speaking with 10 NBA executives and getting their takes on a handful of players: whether they should keep their names in for the NBA Draft or head back to college. Wildcats fans will like this one.

The poll included rising big man Malachi Moreno and UK transfer target Milan Momcilovic.

Moreno had nine votes to head back to college and just one vote to keep his name in the draft.

The Kentucky native would be the centerpiece of the Wildcats 2026-27 roster, as he’s projected to have a breakout season in Lexington. If Mark Pope can get Moreno back, the Cats will have one of the most skilled lineups in the nation.

Now for 6-foot-8, Wisconsin native, Momcilovic. The NBA executives were unanimous in their decision, giving all 10 votes in the direction that he should head back to college.

If Momcilovic does return to college, the Wildcats will have to pull out the blank check. Isaac Trotter of 247 Sports gave a number projection of what his NIL value would look like. “It’s hard to leave $6 million on the table, and I think he’d get a number in that ballpark,” Trotter said.

If the Wildcats were able to get both of these players for next season they could very well become a true title contender.

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Thunder vs Spurs Same-Game Parlay for Tonight's NBA Playoffs Game 3

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The Western Conference finals have not disappointed, with the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs giving NBA bettors thrilling finishes as the series swings to Texas for Game 3.

Let’s keep the blood pumping, and the best way to do so is with some Thunder vs. Spurs predictions.
 
Despite injury concerns, I like San Antonio to show up at home on the slender shoulders of Victor Wembanyama. But don’t discount this other 7-footer on Friday night.

Here are my best NBA picks and SGP predictions for Thunder vs. Spurs on Friday, May 22.

Our best Thunder vs Spurs SGP for Game 3

SGP leg #1: Spurs moneyline

The San Antonio Spurs left OKC with a split and now control home court in the Western Conference finals. Injuries to the backcourt are under the microscope, with De’Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper questionable but the Oklahoma City Thunder will likely be without star Jalen Williams.

San Antonio had a rotten outing in Game 2 yet still hung around. If the Spurs can clean up the turnovers, they’ll take the win in Game 3. San Antonio is tough at home, especially when coming off a loss, going 13-2 SU in those scenarios.

SGP leg #2: Victor Wembanyama Over 25.5 points

Victor Wembanyama got worn down by physical defense from OKC center Isaiah Hartenstein in Game 2 and got to the foul line only twice despite a lot of questionable contact. Wemby was passive and didn’t attack the interior like he did in Game 1.

Getting some rest and playing at home resets the Spurs’ 7-footer, whose projections call for as many as 27+ points. And if Fox and/or Harper sit out, Wembanyama carries even more of the scoring load.

SGP leg #3: Chet Holmgren Over 1.5 threes

With Williams likely sidelined with a nagging hamstring injury, the Thunder need their 7-footer to snap out of it. Chet Holmgren hasn’t had great success against the Spurs all season and has been quiet in two WCF games, seeing his minutes shrink in Game 2.

Holmgren’s outside shooting is especially important to OKC, allowing it to stretch the San Antonio defense and pull Wembanyama away from the rim. Chet knocked down two triples in Game 1 and gets his looks from long range on Friday night.

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Get Jason Logan's full breakdown of this game, including his best bet, plus the latest NBA odds, injuries, and betting trends, in his Thunder vs. Spurs predictions for Game 3.

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Gamethread 5/22: Guardians at Phillies

May 20, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies infielder Alec Bohm (28) hits a home run against the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Here are the lineups. For the Phillies:

For the Guardians:

Let’s talk about it.

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Thunder vs Spurs Expert Picks & Game 3 Best Bets

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The Western Conference Finals continue this evening as the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs battle for the series lead in Game 3.

Our NBA experts have you primed for tip-off at the Frost Bank Center, delivering our best NBA picks for Friday, May 22.

Thunder vs Spurs Expert Picks Tonight

PickOdds
Jon Metler Jon Metler:
SpursWembanyama o25.5 points		-112
Jason Logan Jason Logan:
ThunderHolmgren o1.5 threes		+110
Joe Osborne Joe Osborne:
SpursSpurs -1.5		-112

Odds courtesy of bet365.

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Jon Metler's expert pick: Victor Wembanyama Over 25.5 points

Price: -112 at bet365

I could make this bet purely about Victor Wembanyama, but for me, it’s really about the injury report. Jalen Williams left Game 2 with a hamstring injury and is officially listed as questionable for Game 3.

Personally, I think he’s closer to out than truly questionable, and his potential absence would be significant when it comes to defending Wembanyama.

Williams is an elite perimeter defender who can slow down the San Antonio Spurs at the point of attack while also switching onto Wembanyama — or even defending him outright — thanks to his 7-foot-2 wingspan.

On the other side, De'Aaron Fox and Dylan Harper are both listed as questionable for San Antonio, but I believe both are more likely to play. If the Spurs have Fox, Harper, and Stephon Castle available, they’ll have three guards capable of constantly breaking down the Oklahoma City Thunder defense, forcing rotations, and creating easy opportunities for Wembanyama around the rim.

I price Wembanyama closer to -165 to clear this total in Game 3.

Jason Logan's expert pick: Chet Holmgren Over 1.5 threes

Price: +110 at bet365

Chet Holmgren got a wake-up call in Game 2, with OKC coach Mark Daigneault opting to sit his 7-footer in crunch time. 

With Williams either out or limited (hamstring) tonight, the Thunder need Holmgren to snap out of his San Antonio-induced funk and at least stretch the Spurs’ defense with his outside shooting.

Oklahoma City has been aggressive in attacking the interior, and he had success on drives in Game 2. If San Antonio sells out to stop those close looks, kickouts to Holmgren give him wide-open 3PA.

Chet was 0-for-2 from distance over 27 minutes in Game 2 after hitting two triples in the opener. He’s knocked down two or more 3-pointers in six of his 10 postseason outings, and I like the plus-money on Over 1.5, especially with Chet logging his usual workload.

Joe Osborne's expert pick: Spurs -1.5

Price: -112 at bet365

The Spurs have been automatic in bounce-back spots for months, going 11-0 SU since January 15th in games following a loss. That trend has carried into the playoffs, where San Antonio is 3-0 off a defeat with victories by 12, 38, and 29 points.

Expect a much cleaner effort back on their home floor after coughing up 44 total turnovers in the first two games in OKC. Despite being in a tough road environment in those games, the Spurs still owned the better effective field goal percentage.

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